Page 121 of Iron Hearts and Dragon Magic

“Everything’s happening because of River?”

“River.” Kara scoffed. “What a silly, girly name. But no, nothing is thanks to your River. When you’re a hunter, you wait. You sit, wait, and watch. Eventually, the prey shows up. He is perfect, mind you. I’ll make sure to get rid of those hideous horns, of course.” What? She planned to mutilate River? “But other than that, he doesn’t look bad. And he has so much magic, magic that’s now serving the great one.”

Naia was fuming at the thought that someone wanted to use River as if he were a piece of meat. “If this great one is so great, why does he need someone else’s magic?”

“The body has its limitations, my stupid princess. He will transcend that body, of course, he will get his own body back, but, meanwhile, he has just gained access to some incredible magic. It’s a pity all you can do is amplify his magic, and you have none of your own. He said you didn’t even have ironbringing like your brother. So sad.”

Kara… didn’t know Naia was an ironbringer? If she had gotten this information from River, he wouldn’t be able to lie. Wait.No ironbringing like her brother.It was true; her ironbringing was not like her brother. Sneaky sentence. “Why would you be happy if I had magic?”

“Why? Take a guess.”

Naia had no idea. “You’d love it if I killed you right now?”

“No. Absolutely not. You don’t think your body is going to be wasted, do you?”

“Oh, you plan to inhabit it?” She almost saidover my dead body, but that was literally the point.

“I will, my dear princess, I will. To be fair, if I could choose, I’d pick someone prettier, but the natural magical affinity between you and the fae will help my union with the great one.”

Oh, gross. The thought was disturbing. Naia had to escape as soon as possible, before River and whatever was inside him returned, but she also had to get some answers.

“Call me sceptical, but I doubt you could conceive such a grand plan and elude everyone, even your husband.” She hoped she didn’t sound too desperate for an answer.

The woman burst laughing. “You think it’s hard? You are really a dumb princess, aren’t you?” Her satisfied tone was a good sign. “Let me tell you a secret: men are dumb. And yet they think they are so smart. They had been bringing earth from Mount Prime, happy to elude the magical laws of Aluria, unaware of the guidance it also brought. Men don’t pay attention to voices, to whispers. I did, and I found the great one. Then, when Formosa fell, Ironhold thought it was their chance to dominate the sea—but it never happened. They were so silly, focused on gold, on trade. And yet, they didn’t realize what their deed opened. When your silly fae appeared, I was told what role he could to play, and helped convince my husband to take him in. The fae thought he was serving Harold, but, meanwhile, I was making sure he was being surrounded by the energy of the great one. The fae was easy to work with, pliable like mud, until the gathering, when he started having his own mind. The great one told me a girl was interfering with his magic. At first, the plan was to kill you, but then, we had a better idea. Eventually, to get the fae back on track, I had to keep him for an entire day in a room with Cynon’s magic, lying to him that it was death grass.”

She laughed. “Death grass, what a nonsensical lie. Then I made one of my stupid sons overhear something and release him. Poor little Venard, he probably still thinks he has played hero. The fae was supposed to escape—to continue his plan, to open the gates to the Great Mage’s magic.”

There was so much satisfaction and pride in her tone, and yet, Kara was not that important after all, just someone who heard Cynon and did his bidding. “So you’re working for the great one,” Naia said. “You do know that, don’t you?”

“Workingwithhim. There are only two kinds of people: the powerful and the pathetic. I choose to align with the powerful.”

“No.” Naia suppressed her laughter. “You choose toservethe powerful, which makes you pathetic.”

“The great mageloves me, and together we’ll be the greatest of all.”

“You’re a pawn. Can’t you see?” Naia didn’t even know why she was saying it.

“You are jealous because you just realized your fae is worthless. You’re jealous because you’re powerless.”

“What about your sons? You don’t care what happens to them?”

“Little monsters bred for a pathetic excuse of man? No. I do not care. Love only makes you suffer. They made sure I had an iron heart, and I became what they made me. Never again would I love a powerless creature. It leads to pain.”

River’s words telling what had happened to Kara’s family came to Naia’s mind, and she felt pity. “You were afraid you’d lose them. But isn’t it a greater loss to never love?”

“My love is given to someone worthy, and nobody less.”

Goodness. That woman thought she loved Cynon, and worse, thought he loved her back. Who knew? Perhaps he did like her. Naia had to focus, had to try to get information. “Was it Ironhold who destroyed Formosa?”

She shrugged. “No idea. What would they tell silly little me? All I know was what I felt right after: like a door had been opened, a door to a greater power. Death and pain, they have incredible magical properties—if you know how to use them. I don’t think Ironhold knew the power they had just accessed. Pity.”

“So now you’ll take my body and do what?”

“Become Ironhold’s new queen, of course. As long as someone who resembles Harold sits on the throne, nobody will question much.”

Of course. River could pretend to be a different person.

The queen continued, “They’ll pretend I died, and he’ll have a new wife.”

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